


The False Promise of Tomorrow

by Ginal



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Bumbleby - Freeform, Drama, F/F, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29347698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginal/pseuds/Ginal
Summary: Tomorrow may only be a day away, but some things are too important to leave unspoken.  Separated by war, distance, and the uncertainty of life itself, Blake and Yang take a moment to reflect on the things they wish they had told each other when they had the chance.This is a canon-compliant one shot set roughly in the middle of Volume 8.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	The False Promise of Tomorrow

We always look to the promise of tomorrow, for the things we fail to do today.

I never wanted to fall in love, you know. After certain things… after  _ he _ happened... I had hoped I’d never feel so deeply for someone ever again. Then came you, soaring overhead, bright, laughing, and free. And me, grounded, wings clipped, skulking about the shadows of the forest. 

I can’t even begin to tell you what it was that drew me to you. Was it that you were so joyful and expressive? Could it have been that, when I found you, you had held your own against beasts that I had witnessed tear men with twice our experience apart? Maybe it was that, before I even understood what it meant about me, that I recognized you as the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life. Or maybe, just maybe, I was compelled to follow after the girl who had tried so hard to flirt with me the night before--and failed so miserably.

Whatever it was, I’ve never regretted it. Being around you was the safest I’ve ever felt, which remains as true today as it’s always been. I’ve just known, somehow, that you and I fit together. You lifted me up, supported me when I needed it most. With your coaxing, I crawled out of my shell. I learned to see things in myself that only you had seen before. You stood by me, even when you had every reason to hate me and mistrust me, and helped me overcome my demons…

Gods, Yang, you have  _ always _ been there for me, even when I desperately believed I didn’t deserve it. You never gave up on me, no matter how much I had hurt you. You saved me, Yang. I very much believe that I wouldn’t be here today without the support and the...love...that you’ve shown me.

Love…

Of all the things left unspoken, that’s what I regret the most. How I never told you I love you, that I think I may have always loved you, since that day I saw you soaring overhead, laughing and free. That...I know, in my heart of hearts, I will always love you.

Through it all, I kept telling myself that it was okay to leave things unspoken. Every time I tried and failed to tell you, I would comfort myself by telling myself that I could do it tomorrow. Or the tomorrow after that. After all, why rush it, right? Especially when it seemed like nothing was going to separate us again, after going through so much.

But, we can’t always depend on tomorrow, can we? We settle into a routine that’s comfortable and familiar, and we let it fool us. Fear of saying things that can’t be unsaid takes hold, and we trip over ourselves, and tell ourselves that we can try again tomorrow… Only to find that sometimes, life simply doesn’t go the way we hoped. Like suddenly finding yourself separated from the one you’ve fallen so in love with, without having ever told them what they mean to you. Like being faced with the very real possibility that you’ll never see them again.

So here I am, in this manor, in the middle of a war. I watch through the windows as ships crash, grenades detonate, and soldiers slay the monsters of our nightmares. My every impulse is run out into that darkest of nights in a desperate bid to find you. But I wouldn’t know where to begin, and there are others here counting on me… I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever felt so conflicted. I hate every moment of this.

Every explosion makes my heart skip with worry, every bolt of lightning from the storm above becomes another thread of dread weaving through my heart. Sometimes, I can hear the faint echoes of people screaming or soldiers yelling, and every time I do, I wonder if it might be your voice I’m hearing. You’re out there, somewhere, fighting for your life, and there are so many things I never told you. I let you go into that darkest of nights, without a word, or a reason to come back.

And though there are many things I wish I had said or done differently, my one true regret is that I relied on the false promise of tomorrow.

  
  


\-------

  
  


Gods, I wish I had said something. I can’t believe I’ll throw myself against monsters four times my size, but I can’t say three stupid words. Losing my arm was easier than telling you how I feel about you.

At least I can’t deny it to myself, I guess that’s something. Something about you always pulled me in, even when I told myself to keep a distance. We just fit together, didn’t we? I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone in my life I was so comfortable around. You’re definitely the first person in my life since Ruby that I’ve always known I’d do  _ anything _ for. Oh, man, and I still remember how I tried to flirt with you the first night we met. I hope you don’t hold that against me, it just kind of slipped out. I had no idea what I was doing...

Just like I don’t have a clue what I’m doing now. When I enrolled at Beacon, I thought I’d be learning how to fight better so I could have some adventures. I didn’t want this to be my entire life--I’m not a soldier. What the hell do I know about saving the world from ancient monster Queens? And, now I’m setting off to find Oscar inside some gigantic Grimm whale, and I don’t even know for sure I’m making it out alive this time.

Did I blow it? Am I going to die without having said the things I've held back? Without having tasted your lips, or felt the morning sun with you laying next to me?

Dammit, Blake, I really tried. Ever since I saw you standing there at Haven, I've been trying to tell you I love you, and every time I almost say it, I just choke on it. Then I tell myself that it's fine, and I'll try again tomorrow. Rinse and repeat.

There was that one night, when Ironwood oh so graciously gave us an evening off. We told everyone we were meeting up with team FNKI, but that was our little white lie. We sat on the wall around Mantle, and drank champagne as we took in the sights of the moonlit tundra. We held hands, and got lost in each other's eyes. Even in this hell, it still makes me smile.

The alcohol got to me, and I told you I love you. Well, almost. I think I said half the word before the city sirens kicked on, and your sensitive ears couldn't focus on my voice over that wailing. Nothing kills a romantic mood like the Grimm.

And then, the world fell apart.

It's hard to find time to say "I love you," when you're fighting for your life. But maybe I should have, anyway. I could have said it before we jumped off the shuttle, and even when we fell through the sky together. Or maybe when Maria came for us. Dammit, I had a dozen opportunities to just  _ say something _ yesterday, and I kept telling myself I'd do it tomorrow. But now tomorrow's here, and I don't know if I'll ever see you again.

The truth is, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that after everything, maybe I'm wrong, and you'll say you don't love me. And I'm afraid that, even if you do, telling you will be what tempts fate, and I'll lose you somehow. I know that you're the one who came back, Blake, but old habits die hard, and I can't help but see a dozen different ways I might lose you again. So I choke on my words, and tell myself maybe tomorrow will be better.

All I want is to turn around and run to you. But, people need me, and I can still fight...so I have to keep moving forward, don’t I? Isn’t this more important? I never was good at finding answers to these things.

I can’t die out here, though--not after everything we’ve been through, and not with so much left unfinished and unspoken. You said you wouldn’t break your promise, and now I need to keep my end. I’ll come back to you. With everything I’ve got left, I’ll keep fighting. And, when I make it back to you, no more waiting. No more choking on my old fears. I’ll stop holding back, and just say it. Every last word.

If I can make it to one more tomorrow, that’s a promise I can keep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any and all feedback is appreciated, no matter how brief or thorough.


End file.
